The “supreme task” of the Zionist movement is to rally Jewry to the cause of Israel’s security and integrity, which are of central significance for the future of the Jewish people, the Jewish Agency executive declared here today in a statement published at the conclusion of four days of plenary deliberation.
The statement stressed that world Jewry’s efforts must be directed toward assisting Israel primarily in the sphere of immigration and settlement, for which Jewry is directly responsible.
Reporting on its reappraisal of the task of the Zionist movement “in the light of the dramatic changes which have placed the Middle East in the forefront of world attention,” the Agency executive declared: ‘Although the prevailing calm here is evidence of Israel’s self-confidence, the changes have created a new situation of tension and uncertainty whose consequences can be most far-reaching.
“The citizens of Israel,” the statement continues, “are preoccupied with the heavy growing burden of defense and security and cannot be expected to carry the additional load of immigration, settlement and absorption costs and the Jewish people are called on to increase their financial efforts to the greatest possible proportions. We have entered a new period when the entire Jewish people must be fully aware of the gravity of the problems facing Israel.”
In this connection, it called for strengthening Israel through immigration and settlement. In conclusion, the statement pledged the Jewish people to “do all in their power to develop Israel, consolidate its integrity and independence.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
